1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a highly convenient communication method in a communication network capable of transmitting arbitrary data including a motion picture, a communication service apparatus providing such communication, a communication terminal device for performing such communication and a communication system as such.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the progress of communication technology and various data processing technologies including coding technology or the like, a portable terminal device has been developed, which is capable of processing a great amount of data such as a motion picture. It may be considered that such communication terminal device as capable of processing a real-time motion picture (hereinafter called xe2x80x9clive picturexe2x80x9d, in some cases) will practically come into wide use when a shortly scheduled broadband communication network begins to be utilized. Additionally, as one of the devices which widely prevail among such communication terminal devices, there is considered the communication terminal device in the form of a videophone which is so far being put to practical use in various systems, namely, a portable communication terminal device capable of mutually transmitting live pictures.
However, as has been the case with the hitherto videophone, against such the communication terminal device, an attention has up to now been paid only to transmitting a live image, in other words, it has been positioned, in most cases, as a dedicated device for transmitting live image. For instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-172611 discloses a technology that displays the image of WWW browser in a separate window within the videophone monitor, while calling with the videophones among multipoint. It also discloses the technology regarding the videophone system which includes a videophone device, a multipoint connecting device for controlling a videophone conference connected multipoint and a browser-coupled switching means which notifies as data the other videophone device via the above multipoint connecting device of the files as data which the videophone device downloads from a WWW server. However, this notifying data is notified to all the other connected videophones with the same content, and it is not such that data is notified after selected individually and separately.
As a consequence, a function as a communication means has not been sufficient and effective communication has not been performed. More specifically, there has been problems that adaptability when a user does not want to transmit, for instance, the live picture is insufficient, in addition to difficulty to use.
Moreover, data processing capability that permits real-time transmission of the moving image has not been utilized except for transmission of the live image. Therefore, there has been a demand to provide such a high value-added communication terminal device that more effectively utilizes such data processing capability.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a communication method capable of an effective communication by making use of a real-time motion picture processing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a communication service apparatus for rendering communication service capable of effective communication by making use of a real-time motion picture processing, a communication terminal device for using such communication service, and a communication system for providing such communication service.
Accordingly, in the communication method of the present invention, arbitrary data of each user is stored beforehand, a plurality of communication terminal devices is connected so as to allow simultaneous calls, a desired image is captured as required at each of the communication terminal devices, then the captured image data is transmitted to a server apparatus, and, at each of the communication terminal devices, either the image data transmitted from the pertinent communication terminal device or the data stored beforehand corresponding to the pertinent user is selected in accordance with the indication from the user related to the pertinent communication terminal devices, then the selected data is transmitted to the other connected communication terminal devices, and the data related to the other connected communication terminal devices is displayed on each of a plurality of the above connected communication terminal devices.
Preferably, the arbitrary data of each user is the data that includes at least the data to be displayed on the communication terminal device.
Specifically, the data corresponding to the user is the data that includes either one or a plurality of a static image and a moving image showing the pertinent user, a static image and a moving image showing the status of the pertinent user, or a static image and a moving image of arbitrary contents selected by the pertinent user, and the data including a configuration of the pertinent data having an addition of voice or a configuration having a photograph, a cartoon, an animation or a picture.
Preferably, each time the communication terminal device is connected with the other communication terminal device permitting simultaneous calls, the pertinent communication terminal device transmits a selection signal for selecting the data to the server apparatus, and selects, according to the transmitted selection signal, either the image data transmitted from the pertinent communication terminal device or the data stored beforehand corresponding to the pertinent user at the server apparatus.
Preferably, the communication terminal device transmits beforehand to the server apparatus the indication data for selecting the data at the server apparatus, then the transmitted indication data is stored in the server apparatus, and, when the communication terminal devices start communication, either the image data transmitted from the pertinent communication terminal device or the data stored beforehand corresponding to the pertinent user is selected at the server apparatus by referring to the stored indication data.
Preferably, the indication data is the data for specifying the data to be selected and transmitted to each of the other connected users, and also preferably, the indication data is the data for specifying the data to be selected and transmitted according to the conditions of connection.
Specifically, the indication data is the data for specifying the data to be selected and transmitted according to the connected time.
Specifically, the arbitrary data of each user is stored in the server apparatus, and the arbitrary data of each user is stored in the communication terminal device related to the pertinent user.
Further, the arbitrary data of each user is stored by distributing such data between the server apparatus, the communication terminal device related to the pertinent user, and the arbitrary other communication terminal device with possibility to be connected to the pertinent communication terminal device.
Specifically, the desired image is captured at each of the communication terminal device, and such captured image data is transmitted as required to the server apparatus and to the other communication terminal device with possibility to be connected to the pertinent communication terminal device, and stored in either one or in a plurality of the server apparatus, the pertinent communication terminal device or the other communication terminal device as the arbitrary data of the user related to the pertinent communication terminal device.
Preferably, a plurality of data for display is stored beforehand in the server apparatus, and the arbitrary data for display is selected from such a plurality of data for display stored beforehand, and stored in either one of or a plurality of members selected from the group of the server apparatus, the pertinent communication terminal device or the other communication terminal device as the arbitrary data of the user related to the pertinent communication terminal device.
Preferably, according to the condition of channels between a plurality of the connected communication terminal devices, the server apparatus determines data to be transmitted to each of the communication terminal devices and transmits, irrespective of the indication from the user.
Preferably, the arbitrary data including the desired image data is inputted in the communication terminal device, the inputted data is transmitted to the server apparatus, the transmitted data is stored in the server apparatus as the arbitrary data corresponding to the user related to the pertinent communication terminal device, and the stored data is transmitted to the desired communication terminal device in accordance with the request from the user related to the pertinent communication terminal device.
A communication service apparatus according to the present invention comprises a means for selecting, according to indication from each of a plurality of the communication terminal devices connected to be able to make simultaneous calls, either the image data to be transmitted from the pertinent communication terminal device or the data for display stored beforehand corresponding to the user related to the pertinent communication terminal device, and transmitting means for transmitting the selected data to the other communication terminal device connected to the pertinent communication terminal device to be able to make simultaneous calls.
Communication terminal devices of the present invention are interconnected via a communication service system and effect mutual calls, and comprise calling means for effecting call with another connected communication terminal device, receiving means for receiving predetermined data related to another user transmitted from the communication service system, displaying means for displaying the predetermined data related to the user of the pertinent called party when the above calling is effected, capturing means for capturing the desired image, image transmitting means for transmitting the image data obtained by the above capturing to the communication service system, and data indicating means for selecting and indicating, as the data to be transmitted to the communication terminal device of the pertinent called party, either the image data to be transmitted or the arbitrary data for display prepared beforehand when the calling is being effected.
A communication system of the present invention comprises a plurality of communication terminal devices, a storage device for storing desired data corresponding to the user of the pertinent communication system, and a communication service system for connecting between the arbitrary communication terminal devices in a manner capable of mutual communication and for transmitting, in accordance with the request from the communication terminal device, the desired data stored corresponding to the user related to the pertinent communication terminal device in the desired form and to the desired communication terminal device.